‘Bizarre’ East Midlands village with a handful of residents is hidden in the middle of a National Trust site

Nottinghamshire’s 805 square miles is strewn with hundreds of different villages; some more populous than others.

In recent years, many of the county’s villages have become bloated by housing developments or industrial sites, while others have remained the same for centuries.

Such settlements are few and far between, but some remain dotted around the county.

The ungentrified nature of these villages makes them an attractive proposition for day-trippers, particularly during the autumn months when their natural beauty often comes to the fore.

That can certainly be said for one village in particular, which has been compared to a time warp by some visitors having barely changed since the 1850s.

Why Hardwick Village sits in the middle of a popular National Trust site

With its ancient woodlands and stunning lake, Clumber Park, near Worksop, has long since been a place of refuge for Nottinghamshire residents.

Under the guise of the National Trust since 1946, the park is visited by hundreds of thousands of people every year and recognised as one of Nottinghamshire’s most idyllic beauty spots.

Few visitors, however, will be aware of the tiny village that sits within Clumber Park’s luscious grounds; a village dating back nearly 200 years.

Work to build Hardwick Village began in the 1850s under the instruction of the Duke of Newcastle, who owned the Clumber Estate at the time.

The Duke wanted to create a new village to house the estate’s workers, which is exactly what he did.

Featuring a post office, general store, village hall and two schools, the village allowed the estate’s labourers to remain on-site 24/7.

Since the acquisition of Clumber Park by the National Trust in 1946, the village’s role has changed.

While the village’s few houses remain occupied, the days of lodging labourers are long gone.

Hardwick Village is best viewed from the banks of Clumber Lake or, for a closer look, explored on foot.